Naomi Osaka ’s return to Grand Slam competition ended prematurely on Friday, as the two-time Australian Open champion was forced to retire from her third-round match against Belinda Bencic due to a strained abdominal muscle. Osaka had dropped the opening set in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (3), before informing the chair umpire she could no longer continue.

The Spaniard, who defeated her Ukrainian rival in the 3rd round of Melbourne, spoke about the moment in which she (maybe) railed against her boyfriend

In her last Grand Slam quarterfinal, the Spaniard fell apart in New York. She took the lessons to Gauff in Melbourne, and won.

Two-time defending Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka extended a few impressive streaks on Friday while becoming one of the first players to advance to the fourth round of the year's opening Grand Slam tournament.

A four-time Grand Slam champion, Osaka returned from maternity leave last year and lost in the first or second round of all four major tournaments. The 27-year-old Japan native has not won any event on the WTA Tour since capturing her second Australian Open title to start 2021.

Naomi Osaka is out of the Australian Open after she was forced to retire injured from her third-round match against Belinda Bencic.

Naomi Osaka's run at the 2025 Australian Open came to an end in the third round due to an injury. The two-time Aussie Open champ suffered a strained

Two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus owns the longest Australian Open women's singles winning streak in more than a decade after advancing out of the third round on Friday in Melbourne. Sabalenka got past Denmark's Clara Tauson 7-6 (5), 6-4 in 2 hours, 6 minutes.

A place in the second week of the Australian Open is on the line Friday in Melbourne (Thursday night, U.S.) for a number of star players including Naomi Osaka, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff.

Naomi Osaka admitted that having to retire from her match at the Australian Open was particularly devastating because she felt a run to the latter stages of the tournament was possible. Doubts about

Fans wondered what could have possibly caused Marta Kostyuk to give Paula Badosa a frosty handshake following their Australian Open match but many probably don't remember that the Ukrainian once publicly said that she was left disappointed by the Spaniard.

Why is everyone so angry at what long has been known as the Happy Slam? Things are a little out of control at the Australian Open this year, and that’s got only a little to do with the results on the courts.